Making the Most of Your Social Calendar

If you’ve been doing this social media marketing thing for a while, you’re probably familiar with the importance of having a content calendar. Social calendar, content plan, social strategy, whatever you want to call it, it all comes down to the same idea: having a consistent, actionable plan for your business’ social media presence. And more importantly, committing to keeping up with it.

Like with many things (in marketing and in life), social media is all about accountability. When you’re thinking about the kinds of goals you want to set for your online presence, it’s important that you find ways to keep yourself motivated to meet them. Enter your content calendar.

A great social media content calendar can go a long way in strengthening your marketing strategy. Here are a few ways to ensure that you’re making the most out of yours:

• Set attainable goals and deadlines- This one is pretty simple: If you know you’re having a particularly busy month, don’t aim to post five times a week. Keep it to once a week or twice a week. Maybe even once every other week. It’s easier to hold yourself accountable when the goal isn’t out of reach.

• Plan ahead- Sit down at the beginning of every month and brainstorm ideas for the next month. Are there fun holidays coming up? Office birthdays or milestones to celebrate? Mark them on the calendar and start thinking about the kind of content you want to share for those specific days.

• Be spontaneous- Wait, didn’t you just tell us to plan ahead? I did, but the best social media strategies are a balance of both planning and spontaneity. You might receive a basket of muffins one day from a patient and you would’ve had no idea it was coming. Learn to keep an eye out for the spontaneous things that happen in the office that can double as great content for your social media.

• Check your calendar every day- We’re all busy, and nobody is expecting you to memorize your calendar. If you’re using the Sesame Social Suite, make it a point to log in and take a peek at the calendar every day to see if you’re in need of content. If you’re working off of a printed version, make sure to have it somewhere prominent where it’s easy for you to look at.

• Be flexible- If even after setting realistic goals you aren’t able to meet them for whatever reason (life tends to do that sometimes), it’s okay. Don’t let that discourage you from following through with the rest of the calendar. Just pick up where you left off and keep working towards building habits that will enable you to meet your social media goals.

Consistency is key. Keep yourself accountable with your calendar, but don’t beat yourself up if you miss your weekly goal. Plan ahead, but leave some wiggle room. It may feel daunting at first, but you’ll get the hang of it. I may be biased, but social media is the part of your marketing strategy you can have the most fun with so don’t forget to do just that.

—Michelle Hammond, Social Media Specialist, Sesame Communications